News

Are You Ready for a Repeat Performance?

Finished your race and wondering how soon you can toe the line again? Read our expert advice before planning your next race.

by Kara Deschenes

There’s no place like the finish line of an IRONMAN race. Running down the final chute while the announcer proclaims, "You are an IRONMAN," is a memory emblazoned in the minds of triathlon’s toughest athletes. So it comes as no surprise that participants often find themselves chasing the next big race. For some, a desire to shave time off their finish is fuel for the fire, while others crave a mixture of satisfied exhaustion and feel-good endorphins that only an IRONMAN race can produce.

Whatever the reason, it’s crucial to consider several factors before signing the dotted line of your next registration. Jonathan Cane, head coach and president of City Coach Multisport shares his tips for staying safe in preparation for a repeat performance.

Recover right

Before thinking about racing again, athletes should consider the physical demand placed on their bodies during an IRONMAN race. While some guidelines imply triathletes take it easy for three to five days per hour of racing, Cane says recovery time is highly individual. Collaborating with a coach and doctor to monitor your body’s response to the event will warrant signs that you’re race ready.

Cane advises his athletes to track resting heart rate and body weight as two signs that the body is bouncing back correctly. If either is too high or low for your age and height, putting another race off is best until the body has adequate time to regulate itself back to normal.

Once your body is ready for exercise, Cane recommends easing your way back into training. Beginning with easy walks or a light swim during your first post-race week will allow you to recover while also pumping fresh blood through tired muscles. By the third post-race week, you might be ready for low intensity workouts to get back into a training routine. After a month of easy training, Cane works with athletes to begin putting the "snap" back into their workouts by gradually increasing the intensity of activity.

If an athlete knows going into a race that a second race is waiting on the horizon, proper nutrition becomes even more important than usual. Consuming enough calories and fluids during a race keeps an athlete’s body motoring towards the finish line, but good nutrition practice shouldn’t stop there.

After being crowned as one of the multi-sport’s elite, IRONMAN racers need to pay careful attention to replenishing nutrients and fluids. Though it might be tempting to plop down and rest, Cane advises athletes walk around a little bit after a race and then elevate their feet to discourage blood from pooling in their legs. While walking around, make sure to hit up the food tent and grab a bite to eat and drink. Stick to known foods and liquids that won’t upset your stomach. If you don’t feel like eating immediately, try to consume a small snack and then eat a protein and carbohydrate rich meal within an hour of your race. Remember, rebuilding broken down muscles begins as soon as the race ends and proper nutrition is key.

As a certified coach for over two decades, Cane says his athletes often approach him two to three weeks after a race in hopes of chasing the next big finish. While he appreciates their ambition, Cane reminds them that IRONMAN isn’t just about the race, it also includes months of training. "Having the ambition to race again is different from having the ambition to put in long hours of training again," he says.

Further, Cane advises athletes hoping to race again soon to not only focus on their body’s recovery, but also their mind's. If a personal record attempt wasn’t achieved, Cane says it's best to spend time analyzing whether the original goal was really attainable. If it is, he recommends processing the results from the first race with a coach to identify areas open for improvement. If the time goals weren’t realistic, going back to the drawing board to define more sensible targets is advisable.

Just like with training programs, athletes should consider their individual needs before planning another competition, but these guidelines can help get you back on the road to racing.